FIU and SoftBank Group partner to inject new talent into South Florida’s tech startup scene

FIU is part of a partnership with SoftBank Group International to prepare students to work with tech startups booming in South Florida.
 
“SoftBank sees Miami as a future technology hub for the world, and that future starts with education,” said Marcelo Claure, CEO of SoftBank Group International. “Our vision is for the SoftBank Operator School to become a training ground for the next generation of talent to become leaders in the most successful technology startups in South Florida and Latin America. We know these regions have talent. Now it’s time they get the training.”
 
The partnership creates the SoftBank Operator School (SOS) powered by FIU, Miami Dade College and University of Miami. SOS is designed to become a training ground for the next generation of talent in the most successful technology startups in South Florida and Latin America.
 
The semester-long program, which begins this August, will offer FIU graduate and undergraduate students an unparalleled experience in and outside the classroom.
 
“The SoftBank Operator School will change the entrepreneurship landscape in South Florida,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “At FIU we are focused on providing our students experiences and opportunities that help them succeed. In fueling the startup ecosystem, spurring economic growth and creating high-paying jobs in South Florida, we support our students and uplift the community.”
 
In addition to traditional classroom work, the program includes a series of lectures or masterclasses that will bring tech startup experts directly to participants, equipping them with an understanding of how tech startups work and the numerous career paths they can provide. Topics will include Startup Culture, Go-To-Market Strategies, Making Data-Driven Decisions, Building for Scale with AI and Building in Miami. Additional complementary programming will include workshops, capstone projects in which students solve real challenges at SoftBank portfolio companies, office hours with the SoftBank team, access to co-working space, and information about career opportunities inside SoftBank Group’s portfolio companies.

“In the world of startups, access to talent and knowhow is central to success,” said co-founder and director of StartUP FIU Robert H. Hacker, who will teach the graduate SOS class. “This partnership will provide our students an invaluable and rare opportunity to learn from leaders in the field.”
 
To learn more about SOS, please visit softbankmasterclass.fiu.edu